Posted on 06/15/2009 5:33:29 AM PDT by SolidWood
A rally against the re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is being held in Tehran, in defiance of a government ban on protests.
AFP news agency says hundreds of people are taking part in the Tehran rally. Marchers have clashed with Ahmadinejad supporters, Reuters agency reports.
Defeated candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi said he would attend and urge calm.
Mr Mousavi, a moderate, wants election results annulled, alleging fraud. Mr Ahmadinejad says the vote was fair.
Following two days of unrest, the interior ministry said on Monday: "Some seditious elements had planned to hold a rally."
It added: "Any disrupter of public security would be dealt with according to the law."
Mr Mousavi's campaign initially announced that the event had been called off, but his website later said he and Mehdi Karroubi, another defeated reformist candidate, would address the crowd.
AFP says the demonstrators gathered in central Tehran chanting: "Mousavi we support you!"
Tehran map I urge you, Iranian nation, to continue your nationwide protests in a peaceful and legal way Mir Hossein Mousavi
Editors' blog: Stop the jamming Internet brings events to life John Simpson's view Challenge to republic
Reuters reported that marchers clashed with supporters of President Ahmadinejad riding motorcycles.
The BBC's Jon Leyne, in Tehran, says he understands plain-clothed militias have been authorised to use live ammunition for the first time.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
“I can hear people on rooftops in Niavaran shouting ‘death to khamenaie’ - unbelievable.”
BTW AFP claiming “hundreds” is downplaying the numbers. Hundreds would be meaningless.
Twittered reports speak of at least 10,000 now.
Tweet by persiankiwi
call in from Enghelab Sq. Baseej outnumbered, just watching people march.
...
can hear helicopters, cannot see them. more than one.
10,000 is also hundreds, though. Hundreds of hundreds.
Twittered reports speak of at least 10,000 now."
Hey, cut AFP a break ... 10,000 is 100 hundreds, isn't it? It wouldn't surprise me if they just said that it was "two hundreds" ... a hundred hundred ...
/sarcasm off
I can’t believe they re-elected him after they heard Obama’s speech.
Don’t believe it (yet). Sounds like an exaggeration. But who knows? Would be too good to be true.
ML/NJ
This is why citizens outside militias should have the right to bear arms.
Civil war....One group has guns...the other has rocks...And that’s how it works...It’s how it worked in Tianeman Square!!
Modems are working. They have blocked broad band. Mobile phones are being jammed or slowed by overdemand. SMS and modem tweets are working, although disrupted since last night.
You can’t completely shut off the internet, unless they pull out every wire.
This question was asked yesterday several times, I’ll look up later for the responses given.
You win by getting the guys with the guns to come over to your side, see Bucharest, 1989.
We won’t see alot of it on “tv”, they don’t want us to get any ideas of our own.
You know, notwithstanding the reports from “twitter” it’s worth noting that they are more than likely a minority (maybe growing but still a minority). Eventually Aminedinejad’s supporters (of which there are millions in his country) will also “protest” against the “allies of the west”
Overturning the election, and eventually “overthrowing” the elected President will have worst consequences than letting Amidenejad stay in power and I’m sure the Mullahs know this.
Good for them.
By the way, the President is still eating his waffle.
Could be... but I applaud those who stand up for their rights.
I want to remind that the islamic revolution 1979 was pulled off by about 10% of Iranians. Most of them in the big cities.
Ahmadinejads base is rural, revolutions are being made in cities.
I think however that your assumption of a civil war aren’t far off. That’s why the position of the regular Army and Police versus the Guards and militias will be important. If the rebellion is armed well, it can win against the radical thugs.
Persiankiwi is twittering live (tweets from the last half hour or so):
I am hearing that Karoubi is in a car and being escorted through the streets with tens of thousands of people. #Iranelection
unconfirmed - students killed last night at Tehran Uni dorms. #Iranelection
no confirmed sighting of Khatami yet. #Iranelection
Ferdowsi Ave - confirmed - thousands marching - peaceful. #Iranelection
Valli Asr st closed to traffic - tens of thousands marching - unbelievable sight. #Iranelection
I cannot see directly from my position but am being told many many people in streets - too many to count. #Iranelection
have secured good proxy service. cannot display adds - will be cut as soon as displayed. #Iranelection
we have 40kb speed now. will post as fast as possible. #Iranelection
have spoken with Ahwaz. am told demos are not peaceful there. #Iranelection
unconfirmed - Mashad is violent. #Iranelection
unconfirmed as yet - mousavi newspaper offices raided. #Iranelection
tehran is at standstill. all major routes jammed with people. #Iranelection
we do not know if foreign press are covering this. we cannot access satellites. #Iranelection
tonight we will have film from march for u. #Iranelection
informed Karoubi and Mousavi are at different parts of rally. no sighting of khatami yet. #Iranelection
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